This was a trip back in time to enjoy the tribe showing the ways of crafting, weapons making and…read morethe classic housing. With the finale being the dances of the tribe. This is well worth visiting to see the culture and the wonderful people.

Oconaluftee Indian Village is a great place to visit to learn more about the Cherokee and how they…read morelived in the 1700s. As I bought a combo ticket with Unto the Hills and wasn't given a ticket for the Village I arrived with my receipt and ticket for the show. That was scanned and allowed me in. Tours start about every 15 minutes or when a large enough group is formed. The tour is guided and we stopped at stations to learn about weaving; bead work; woodworking. Some of the stops were at dwellings and ritual sites. We saw traps for animals. They had a unique way to catch fish with the trap that was placed in the water. Some of the stops didn't have anyone working so the guide just talked about it. One guide took us on the tour and two separate guides talked with tour groups mixed together about the customs and rituals in the Council House. There was no dancing done at the dance grounds. They did talk about the different tribes.

On our recent visit to Great Smoky Mountains, husband decided to come here since we were in the…read morearea, and it was an interesting pit stop! We were able to secure admission tickets via Viator, which meant we could use our Viator credits to buy tickets! Woohoo. The experience was informative, educational, but a bit underwhelming. We're glad the Cherokee people are able to maintain their history thru this museum, and we even brought home a souvenir from their gift shop. It's worth a visit if you happen to be in the area, and there's a burger restaurant down the road from the museum that serves delicious burgers with a view of the river!

Interesting tour through the history of the Cherokee nation. It's mostly reading through the…read morepictures on the wall and seeing some of the artifacts. Which were very cool. Overall an informative way to spend about an hour learning things you may not have known before. Nice gift shop. $15 for adults.

Celebrated the 75th year of this outdoor musical theater event with my first visit…read more We purchased tickets ahead of time on the website, which was quite easy to navigate. Seats have plenty of space between your knees and the seat back in front of you; if your feet don't quite touch the ground they have footrests you can borrow from the ushers, a nice touch. Parking was easy to navigate and clearly marked. The preshow was jovial and included both music and a closing choreographed piece. This was worth arriving at 7:30 to enjoy. The performance itself was well done, with more dance numbers than I had expected. The occasional cannon and musket blasts kept us alert and the actor/dancers were enthusiastic and fun to watch. The history as presented was consistent with other sources we experienced this trip to Cherokee country.

Head to the Great Smoky Mountains & there you'll find "Unto These Hills". A story of the Cherokee…read morebefore the Trail of Tears up to present day. The outdoor drama is performed in a 2100 seat amphitheater. This is their 75th Anniversary season that runs from 5/31/25-8/23/25. Unfortunately we got rained out & weren't able to see the show, however we did have the Pre-Show Dinner ($20 each). Note, I recommend buying the $5 Performance Insurance since The Smokies are in a rainforest & rain is always likely...bring a poncho & blanket too. My husband saw the show many years ago & said it was amazing, I'm assuming it still is today. The scenery was gorgeous, very lush & green. There were several attendants directing cars & a greeter instructing where to get tickets. Most of the instructions given were quite unclear & confusing. All of us waiting for dinner had no instructions of what to do once we found our tables. Our meal consisted of Pulled Chicken BBQ, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Hushpuppies, a drink & a Cookie for dessert. The dinner was not good & it was not homemade. The meal was very bland & lacked flavor. With that said, next time I'm in the beautiful Smokies I will go to see the show & hope I don't get rained out!

We had the nest time at the NC Mtn Stste Fair. Very nice clean grounds, reasonably priced for the…read morewhole family, excellent rides, food vendors, circus and entertainment as well as exhibits!

The food at the fair was great, but the ride experience was incredibly frustrating. It is…read moreridiculous that they actively advertise to children and encourage parents to bring their families, yet there was essentially nothing for the kids to do. My one-year-old son was too short for almost every ride, and my five-year-old niece was barred from the kiddie rides simply because she was half an inch too tall. We felt like we couldn't participate in anything.

The Museum of the American House Cat is one of those stops that feels both interesting and quirky…read morein the best possible way, the kind of place that you pull into on a whim and walk out of smiling because it exists at all. The collection is a tight little maze of memorabilia, artwork, toys, signage and all the odd bits of feline history someone loved enough to gather, and we were through it in less than twenty minutes which honestly would have been quicker except Oliver the tabby, one of the resident cats, decided that we were worth his time. He let us pet him a bit and that small moment of cat diplomacy ended up being almost as memorable as anything in the cases. I kept thinking about a similar museum I visited near Gettysburg that was all about elephants. A fun comparison because I do not have elephants as pets and the emotional connection is of course different. Cats are part of daily life for so many people and that makes this place feel more personal and more playful. The displays are charming without trying to be anything grander than what they are and that honesty makes it work. As a break from driving through the North Carolina mountains, this was exactly the kind of distraction I hope for on a road trip, something small and strange and delightful that reminds you why detours are worth taking. I am genuinely pleased we swung off the main route for it because it added a little spark to the day and gave us a story to carry forward, and sometimes that is all you want from a roadside museum dedicated to the creatures who rule our homes. [Review 455 of 2026 - 4587 in North Carolina - 25638 overall]

Definitely worth a stop if you are a fan of cats! Even my boyfriend's parents (who are dog people)…read morethought it was interesting. This small museum is absolutely packed with cat collectibles, sorted by theme (clocks, Halloween, music, etc.) There is even a mummified cat from Egypt. My favorite thing was the carousel with the various cat figures on it. Well, my REAL favorite thing was the couple of kitties running around wanting pets! The museum supports the cage-free, no-kill shelter, Catman2 Shelter, so pay your $10 entry fee, pick up some goodies in the gift shop, and know that it's benefitting a good cause.

It cost $8 per person to get into the museum so we didn't do it…read more We were short on time. We did look around the store and they have lots of lots of Scottish outfits anything your little heart could desire. I am parked Scottish and English. I do love all the plaid stuff.

I'm going for a 2 because we walked into the place and didn't know how it all worked so we shopped…read morearound. By the time we ventured over to the counter to ask for tickets for the museum he wouldn't sell then to us because we needed like at least an hour (or other predetermined amount of arbitrary time) to visit the museum and it was too close to closing time. We did buy quite a few things anyway.

The grounds are so beautiful and filled to the brim with nature; the house is ginormous but…read moregorgeous. The house is super big but the tours are super cool. You can see the kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more. I'm not sure if Antler Village is a separate story, but we love it too! Service is good.

The Biltmore Estate is a large property owned by Vanderbilt family. The hotel however is run by…read moreinexperienced people. Restaurant staff were Rude and always pushed people around, talking to people in condescending manner. Drinks were poorly made. We did dinner at one restaurant in the park, it was mediocre. They need to have hotel experienced people run this place. Rooms were good but always sooooo cold. They charge 1200$/night but was not worth the experience. We were a group of 12 for 4 nights. All felt that we were not welcome. They probably live in plantation days. We brought some things for picnic so we can enjoy company. Every employee told us " there is no place to sit down in 200 acre property to have picnic together " because they wanted to push their restaurants but they were mediocre. We ended up going out in town for dinners most days after first night experience They were pushing the 14 min Luminare show for 75 $. Even the tram guy was so rude, would not let us sit in it without wrist band although we were just going for dinner at restaurant Sorry the review is not much positive but they need to improve service, attitude. Never again Biltmore. Big name poor service

This is a fun place to visit for an hour or two, or even to stop for information, maps, and to…read morepuruse the small gift shop. They do have a small museum here that costs a small amount that you can walk through (it's indoors and a part is outside). We did not visit the museum as we planned a hike instead, but did enjoy looking at some of the books in the gift shop. Cute building! Service was welcoming and friendly. Staff knew a lot about the local area. Cute rocking chairs out front of the building!

We were in the area visiting Cades Cove and stopped by here later in the afternoon. It was almost…read morecompletely cleared out around 3:30. We really enjoyed the outdoor buildings and information as well as the indoor artifacts that dated back to the original Native American settlers of the land. This was affordable and informational. A great first stop for anyone headed to Cades Cove. Plan to spend about an hour or two here depending on how throughly you want to see everything.

My favorite place for First Friday. Every room is a different style of art or different artist…read more Sometimes there will be a competition and visitors can vote for their favorite work in the room. The main area at the bottom will highlight an artist's work. Wine and snacks aren't free here as some other First Friday Art locations, but they do sell beer by the bottle and wine.

I feel like one of the more slept on places here in Knoxville is The Emporium Center for Arts &…read moreCulture. The do so much for the community at large, house so many talented artists, and showcase a plethora of wonderful art pieces. I think a lot of folks know about it, but I worry not enough remember about it. They're also one of the best places to hold an event or wedding. I've attended many a wedding there, and it is such a beautiful background for a couple's most important day.

Oconaluftee Visitor Center is a must-stop during your roadtrip through the beautiful Great Smoky…read moreMountains. There's plenty of parking, clean restrooms, an indoor museum with a gift shop, the Mountain Farm Museum, hiking trails, and a large pasture where you might have the opportunity to see elk. We had a quick stop over so we didn't get to explore too much of the area, especially because we had our dog with us and it was quite a hot day. The indoor museum was curated well and was informative on the life in the Appalachians. The gift shop was nice, well stocked, and had plenty of options. I always buy something from National Park centers as a donation. I bought a sticker, a patch, and a magnet. They also have stamps for your National Park Passports, too!

Coming from Cherokee, this is the first Visitor's Center you will find as you drive into the Great…read moreSmoky Mountains. You may see elk, there's a lot of signage mentioning them. You may see bears, so drive slowly and be prepared to stop (carefully!) for wildlife! The farm here was so peaceful and next to the stream, and there's a museum on site as well. There were baby birds screaming from a nest above the bathroom, too, which was bonus wildlife since I saw a bear slightly further in, but no elk this time!